Jacksonville businessman Jack Meeks has completed the major restoration of his beautiful Queen Anne style home on Hubbard Street in historic Springfield.
“I am really looking forward to living here,” said Meeks, who has spent the last two years working on the renovation project. “This is a fabulous piece of Jacksonville history.”
Built in 1890, the historic home features a three-story turret, one of the few remaining examples in Jacksonville of the Queen Anne style tower. The turret was a common feature on houses before the turn-of-the-century. The turret’s corner location combined with the home’s conical roof, fish-scale shingling and wraparound veranda with tapered porch posts add to its architectural appeal. Because the porch is more typical of later Bungalow or Prairie styles, historians believe it was added or rebuilt to its present configuration in the early 1900s.
When Meeks purchased the home two years ago, the former owners had lived in the home and completed a partial renovation, and they retained all of the home’s original woodworking and floors. Meeks decided to give the home a complete makeover from top to bottom, in an effort to restore the home to its original state. He added a new roof, new heating and air conditioning systems and new plumbing. He also repaired many of the walls and floors that had suffered water damage, painted the house and added new period-style fixtures. Meeks’ renovation includes a new garage with garage apartment on the property.
“Jack’s home is absolutely gorgeous,” SPAR Council President Louise DeSpain said. “Jack did not merely do a renovation, but he has done an actual restoration to make his home a real showplace.”
For the project, Meeks worked with Tony Jarzyna as the architect and Jeff Schaefer as the contractor. The home’s original architect is unknown. Like many of the historic homes in Springfield, it is believed Meeks’ home was constructed by a builder using designs copied from available plan books.
Meeks’ home is noted for its historical significance in Jacksonville’s Architectural Heritage: Landmarks for the Future. The home was first owned by Arthur Perry, the treasurer of the Springfield Co. and an officer of the Main Street Railroad, Southern Savings & Trust Co., and the Citizens Gas & Electric Co.
Meeks, president of Meeks, Ross, Paulk & Associates, CPAs, LLC, is also moving his business from downtown Jacksonville to Springfield. He has purchased a building at 1354 N. Laura St., which is undergoing significant renovations. Meeks, who has over 30 years of public accounting experience, expects to move into his new office this fall.